Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 118
118 Give thanks to the Lord because he is good,
because his faithful love lasts forever.
2 Let Israel say it:
“God’s faithful love lasts forever!”
3 Let the house of Aaron say it:
“God’s faithful love lasts forever!”
4 Let those who honor the Lord say it:
“God’s faithful love lasts forever!”
5 In tight circumstances, I cried out to the Lord.
The Lord answered me with wide-open spaces.
6 The Lord is for me[a]—I won’t be afraid.
What can anyone do to me?
7 The Lord is for me—as my helper.
I look in victory on those who hate me.
8 It’s far better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust any human.
9 It’s far better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust any human leader.
10 All the nations surrounded me,
but I cut them down[b] in the Lord’s name.
11 Yes, they surrounded me on every single side,
but I cut them down in the Lord’s name.
12 They surrounded me like bees,
but they were extinguished like burning thorns.
I cut them down in the Lord’s name!
13 I was pushed so hard[c] I nearly died,
but the Lord helped me.
14 The Lord was my strength and protection;
he was my saving help!
15 The sounds of joyful songs and deliverance
are heard in the tents of the righteous:
“The Lord’s strong hand is victorious!
16 The Lord’s strong hand is ready to strike!
The Lord’s strong hand is victorious!”
17 I won’t die—no, I will live
and declare what the Lord has done.
18 Yes, the Lord definitely disciplined me,
but he didn’t hand me over to death.
19 Open the gates of righteousness for me
so I can come in and give thanks to the Lord!
20 This is the Lord’s gate;
those who are righteous enter through it.
21 I thank you because you answered me,
because you were my saving help.
22 The stone rejected by the builders
is now the main foundation stone!
23 This has happened because of the Lord;
it is astounding in our sight!
24 This is the day the Lord acted;
we will rejoice and celebrate in it!
25 Lord, please save us!
Lord, please let us succeed!
26 The one who enters in the Lord’s name is blessed;
we bless all of you from the Lord’s house.
27 The Lord is God!
He has shined a light on us!
So lead the festival offering with ropes
all the way to the horns of the altar.[d]
28 You are my God—I will give thanks to you!
You are my God—I will lift you up high!
29 Give thanks to the Lord because he is good,
because his faithful love lasts forever.
Psalm 145[a]
Praise. Of David.
145 I will lift you up high, my God, the true king.
I will bless your name forever and always.
2 I will bless you every day.
I will praise your name forever and always.
3 The Lord is great and so worthy of praise!
God’s greatness can’t be grasped.
4 One generation will praise your works to the next one,
proclaiming your mighty acts.
5 They will talk all about[b] the glorious splendor of your majesty;
I will contemplate your wondrous works.
6 They will speak of the power of your awesome deeds;
I will declare your great accomplishments.
7 They will rave in celebration of your abundant goodness;
they will shout joyfully about your righteousness:
8 “The Lord is merciful and compassionate,
very patient, and full of faithful love.
9 The Lord is good to everyone and everything;
God’s compassion extends to all his handiwork!”
10 All that you have made gives thanks to you, Lord;
all your faithful ones bless you!
11 They speak of the glory of your kingdom;
they talk all about your power,
12 to inform all human beings about God’s power
and the majestic glory of God’s kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is a kingship that lasts forever;
your rule endures for all generations.
The Lord is trustworthy in all that he says,
faithful in all that he does.[c]
14 The Lord supports all who fall down,
straightens up all who are bent low.
15 All eyes look to you, hoping,
and you give them their food right on time,
16 opening your hand
and satisfying the desire of every living thing.
17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways,
faithful in all his deeds.
18 The Lord is close to everyone who calls out to him,
to all who call out to him sincerely.
19 God shows favor to those who honor him,
listening to their cries for help and saving them.
20 The Lord protects all who love him,
but he destroys every wicked person.
21 My mouth will proclaim the Lord’s praise,
and every living thing will bless God’s holy name
forever and always.
Joy and protection for Judah and Ephraim
9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion.
Sing aloud, Daughter Jerusalem.
Look, your king will come to you.
He is righteous and victorious.
He is humble and riding on an ass,
on a colt, the offspring of a donkey.
10 He[a] will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
and the warhorse from Jerusalem.
The bow used in battle will be cut off;
he will speak peace to the nations.
His rule will stretch from sea to sea,
and from the river to the ends of the earth.
11 Moreover,[b] by the blood of your covenant,
I will release your prisoners from the waterless pit.
12 Return to the stronghold, prisoners of hope.
Moreover, declare today that I will return double to you.
13 Indeed, I myself will bend Judah as a bow;
I will fill it with Ephraim.
Zion, I will rouse your sons against your sons. Greece, I will make you
like a warrior’s sword.
14 The Lord will appear above them;
his arrow will go forth like lightning.
The Lord God will blow the horn;
he will march forth on the stormy winds of the south.
15 The Lord of heavenly forces will protect them.
They will devour and subdue like sling stones.[c]
They will drink, mumbling like one having wine.
They will be filled like a bowl, like the corners of the altar.
16 The Lord their God will deliver them on that day as the flock of his people;
they will be the jewels in a crown dotting his land.
13 Who will harm you if you are zealous for good? 14 But happy are you, even if you suffer because of righteousness! Don’t be terrified or upset by them. 15 Instead, regard Christ the Lord as holy in your hearts. Whenever anyone asks you to speak of your hope, be ready to defend it. 16 Yet do this with respectful humility, maintaining a good conscience. Act in this way so that those who malign your good lifestyle in Christ may be ashamed when they slander you. 17 It is better to suffer for doing good (if this could possibly be God’s will) than for doing evil.
18 Christ himself suffered on account of sins, once for all, the righteous one on behalf of the unrighteous. He did this in order to bring you into the presence of God. Christ was put to death as a human, but made alive by the Spirit. 19 And it was by the Spirit that he went to preach to the spirits in prison. 20 In the past, these spirits were disobedient—when God patiently waited during the time of Noah. Noah built an ark in which a few (that is, eight) lives were rescued through water. 21 Baptism is like that. It saves you now—not because it removes dirt from your body but because it is the mark of a good conscience toward God. Your salvation comes through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who is at God’s right side. Now that he has gone into heaven, he rules over all angels, authorities, and powers.
Entry into Jerusalem
21 When they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus gave two disciples a task. 2 He said to them, “Go into the village over there. As soon as you enter, you will find a donkey tied up and a colt with it. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that their master needs them.” He sent them off right away. 4 Now this happened to fulfill what the prophet said, 5 Say to Daughter Zion, “Look, your king is coming to you, humble and riding on a donkey, and on a colt the donkey’s offspring.”[a] 6 The disciples went and did just as Jesus had ordered them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and laid their clothes on them. Then he sat on them.
8 Now a large crowd spread their clothes on the road. Others cut palm branches off the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds in front of him and behind him shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord![b]Hosanna in the highest!” 10 And when Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up. “Who is this?” they asked. 11 The crowds answered, “It’s the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Cleansing the temple
12 Then Jesus went into the temple and threw out all those who were selling and buying there. He pushed over the tables used for currency exchange and the chairs of those who sold doves. 13 He said to them, “It’s written, My house will be called a house of prayer.[c] But you’ve made it a hideout for crooks.”
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible